Knives In the Nursery
by KNO
Summary: Alternate Universe. In the NUJ, the government controls all aspects of life. TenTen and her partner Neji, are government enforcers. When they come across a life-changing breach of the law, can they safely say they agree with the regime's rules? DISCONTINUED.
1. Ichi

_Don't judge. Just read._

**Disclaimer:** Guess what? I own nothing.

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><p>The buildings were always cold on this side of town. They were looming skyscrapers, needles that looked crooked the longer you stared at them. Yamaguchi TenTen was doing just this as she strolled down the mostly deserted street.(1) Her neck hurt as she craned it upwards, brown eyes beholding the slick slate buildings with a distant reverence.<p>

It was unfortunate that such time was spent into building structures that weren't even used anymore. TenTen momentarily pitied her ancestors. Their care and toil in the end hadn't been enough to salvage the future of their country.

TenTen turned her eyes back to the street.

It was dodgy at night, but she liked to take this road because it was by the bay. The broken streetlights cast spotty iridescent orange on the water below.

TenTen did not walk close to the edge—the rotting sewage in the bay had long ago become putrid.

TenTen sighed. She dreamed sometimes of the bay that used to be—the clean one that existed in her childhood, before it became a dumping ground. She rolled her eyes at no one in particular.

TenTen hurried down the remainder of the road, skirting sketchy passers-by with a sharp glare.

When she passed the marker for the inner-city, TenTen allowed herself to relax some. The inner-city was highly controlled by no-nonsense armed guards. People knew better than to act like anything other than normal in front of the trigger-happy guards.

TenTen passed the guards with a short nod and picked up her pace, knowing that he had probably already beaten her.

Knowing this was probably the case, TenTen grimaced. He would give her hell about it in his demure way as soon as she arrived. TenTen was not one to prolong chastening—the sooner she got there, the sooner he could reprimand her, and then they could move on to their assignment.

Her destination was a brightly lit and incredibly seedy nightclub. As TenTen neared it, she could see numerous people streaming through the doors.

TenTen edged into the dimly lit, pulsating room.

Nightclubs like these were always a farce—you could look all you wanted, but it was against the law to touch.

TenTen found her partner sitting at the bar, grasping a glass of gin. The glass was still full.

She sat next to him and wrested the glass from his hand, downing it in one swallow.

"You're late," he said.

TenTen glanced at the bar clock, barely batting an eyelash.

"By ten seconds, maybe. I'm here, that's what matters."

Her partner considered this silently as he retrieved the glass, examining it judiciously.

"Are you late because you took the road from the outer-city?"

His question sounded nonchalant, but TenTen knew better. He was angry with her.

"I like to take the road. Think of it as a patrol route," TenTen casually waved away.

His eyes flitted to her face slowly. His eyes never seemed to alter the effect they had on her. TenTen felt a shiver descend her spine.

"That road is dangerous. One of these days you're going to be the one in a body bag," he said in his low voice.

TenTen shrugged, even though she knew his assessment was right. Bodies were found everyday in the outer-city, and the corpses continued to be found in worse condition.

TenTen ordered another gin, wanting the jolt to bounce her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"What does Tsunade want from us tonight?"

"Apparently some of the rebel factions like to blow off some steam in this club," her partner replied in a soft voice, barely audible over the pumping music.

"Fantastic," TenTen responded with flat enthusiasm.

She turned to face the assembled crowd.

It was always odd to be in such a place with civilians.

A pair of girls—probably no older than twelve—walked past, scarcely dressed in thigh-high lace stockings and thin shirts.

TenTen shook her head and commented, "It's ridiculous the young ones dress like that. They know the rules."

"They know better," added her partner, still facing the bar, "but they haven't been fined enough yet to care. It'll change when they get older."

TenTen raised her eyebrows as a lad around twenty leered at the girls who had just passed.

"They're just asking for it," TenTen muttered under her breath.

"Forget about them," said her partner, swinging around on his seat face the club. "They aren't our concern tonight."

TenTen knew he was right, and focused as a group of men and women strolled into the club.

-xxx-

They didn't get lucky in the club until around one in the morning, when out of the shadows appeared a crew of known rebels.

TenTen recognized their faces from the mug-shots that were plastered all over the police station and throughout the city.

"Should we—?" she posed.

"Yes," murmured back her partner.

They split apart at the bar, and crept close to the walls so as to catch the rebels by surprise.

This plan worked up until the point when one of the rebels turned and saw their advancing. From his lips emitted an urgent whistle, and then the rebels scattered without a word.

_Damn_, TenTen thought, setting her eyes on one rebel as she made her way for the nightclub's backdoor.

"Stop!" TenTen commanded, her boots slapping heavily as she burst out the backdoor and into the club's alley.

The rebel girl refused orders and pounded up some crates to reach the neighboring building's stairwell.

TenTen debated for a moment, wondering if she should follow or wait for backup. Almost instantly, TenTen decided to keep tailing the rebel. The opportunity was too good to pass up.

TenTen swung herself lithely onto the stairwell, keeping her eyes on the girl.

The rebel balled up her fist and smashed out a window, hardly waiting for the glass to fall before she bounded into the hole she'd created.

TenTen followed, her hand secure on her cudgel.

The rebel girl was easy to follow. She did not try to conceal her footsteps, and her long, platinum blonde hair shone like a beacon in the dark building.

The blonde trampled down some rotting stairs, and TenTen cut time on the chase by vaulting over the banister and landing in the girl's path.

The rebel shrieked and turned to run back up the stairs, but TenTen rapped her hard on the back with her cudgel. The girl faltered and fell to her knees, allowing TenTen to get a firm grip on her wrist.

The girl was crying and gasping, "Please—please! Don't kill me!"

TenTen's forehead creased, puzzled by this exclamation.

"Why would I kill you?" she inquired of the girl.

The blonde just shook her head in terror and continued to cry.

TenTen thoughtfully shackled the girl's feet together, turning her over to where TenTen could study her face.

She was probably only a year or two younger than TenTen herself, but the tears made her appear like a child.

TenTen assessed the girl now that she had her in custody. Her clothes were threadbare, and covered a thin frame. Her blue eyes were slightly sunken in.

TenTen's eyes halted on a slight bulge around the girl's stomach.

She cocked her head, wondering if perhaps this slip of a girl was hiding a bomb.

TenTen's brown irises flashed to the girl's, but instead of defiance, the blonde returned the gaze in fear.

Curious, TenTen carefully lifted the blonde's shirt.

It was then she understood the girl's plea.

-xxx-

It took Neji Hyuga, TenTen's partner, a good half hour to find her and her captured rebel.

"Did you get anything?" he asked without preliminary.

"Neji," TenTen said after a moment.

Her serious tone made Neji look at her face.

"What?" he queried.

Wordlessly, TenTen lifted the rebel's shirt just enough to expose what she had found.

Before her, Neji seemed to visibly pale.

The captured blonde rebel was in her first stage of pregnancy.

In the NUJ, pregnancy was worthy of death.(2)

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><p>(1) Yamaguchi is a Japanese surname that means "mountain entrancegateway".

(2) NUJ is an acronym for Newly United Japan.

_I know it's a strange concept, but there will be more information next chapter._

_Please review if you read._


	2. Ni

_Thanks for reading/reviewing. :)_

**Disclaimer:** M.K. owns it all. Except the plot. Which is mine.

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><p>It all happened after the fourth world war.<p>

Due to nuclear annihilation of a majority of the world's population, entire continents had had to restructure their governmental and social composition.

Japan was no different.

Habitual tsunamis and raids had all but destroyed the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. The last reports had suggested the islands were now submerged by the ocean. The only two remaining islands (that were known to have people) were Kyushu and Hokkaido.

TenTen had just been a toddler at the height of the war; she had grown up watching her country fall around her, smashed into tiny, fragmented pieces.

It had only gotten worse as she grew older.

When she was five, the population crisis was petrifying everyone on the planet.

There were many intercontinental meetings, amidst bombs going off in midair and bodies lying in the streets. Crazed and stressed, the leaders of the world formed a drastic decision: No marriage, no intimacy, no children, no physical contact whatsoever.

At first, this new law was hard to enforce. But after the course of a few disasters and the senseless killings of several hundred individuals, most of the world's population got the picture.

As the old generation passed away and gave way to extremists, the law was lengthened to include harsh penalties for disobedient civilians.

By TenTen's sixteenth birthday, physical contact with another human being alone was charge enough to receive a sound bludgeoning.

As the continents reformed, Japan isolated its remaining citizens to the islands of Hokkaido and Kyushu.

Even with the Intimacy Law in place, conditions remained crowded.

Sapporo, where TenTen lived, was the most populated city on Hokkaido.

After a while, people began to spread out into the city, but it was dangerous. Collapsed buildings, disease, and wild animals ruled this newly created world, and few knew how to defend against them. Sickness was common, as were bodies in the streets. The NUJ took to throwing the corpses into the sea; there was no longer space for graves.

Eventually, the NUJ sectioned off Sapporo into the inner-city (which was monitored always by soldiers and where most people lived and worked) and the outer-city (which was a wild land, uncontrolled and a breeding ground for lawless factions).

If you strayed too far, it was as if you were walking off the edge of the world.

-xxx-

TenTen fidgeted at her standard issue desk, peering around nervously as her co-workers zipped around.

TenTen kept shooting darting looks at her partner's desk, anxious for him to arrive. He had never been late, and he had never skipped a day of work, which was why TenTen was so apprehensive.

She reached for her coffee cup, but a second later cringed away from it. She was jumpy as it was.

Several long minutes passed and TenTen sat straight up as Neji came through the front entrance. TenTen stood and leaned on her desk, popping her knuckles.

Neji briskly made his way down the rows of desks, casting TenTen a semi-amused look as he arrived at his work space.

"Calm down. You look crazy," Neji advised in his quiet voice as he shook off his coat.

TenTen took a few deep breaths, but her nerves were still a livewire.

Neji promptly ignored her as he surveyed a few notices placed on his desk.

TenTen tapped her foot impatiently and cast several glances at the wall clock.

"Ready?" Neji questioned, at her side.

TenTen started, clutching at her shirt.

"Get a bell to tie around your neck, won't you?" she snapped half-heartedly.

Neji's mouth lifted in a small smirk and led the way to the captain's office.

Nara Shikaku was a smoker, and his office always rank of pungent cigar. Besides his croaky voice dubbed to him, Shikaku sported scars on his face—evidence of the long years he'd spent in the Japanese army before the reforms.

He blinked several times at Neji and TenTen before he addressed them, his lids heavy.

"Did either of you hear the news this morning?"

TenTen shook her head, and Neji just stared back blankly.

Shikaku smirked around his cigar.

"Fantastic. Well, naturally, we're in deep shit, as usual."

He blinked and turned to a stack of folders on his desk. He threw one at TenTen, who caught it unexpectedly.

"In that folder," educated Shikaku, "is a list of known whereabouts of those damn rebel groups. There's also a list of a few of the members we know."

TenTen raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want us to do, sir?"

"I need inside information. Over the past few months, the few underlings we've managed to nab all point to some big event the top dogs of the rebel groups are cooking up. Get me someone who matters."

Neji nodded and exited with TenTen.

They walked back to Neji's desk, where TenTen flipped open the folder, perusing the documents inside.

"It's all stats, honestly. A few maps," she added helpfully. She looked up at Neji. "How do we need to go about this?"

Neji thought for a moment.

"I was thinking surveillance. We might get lucky."

TenTen wrinkled her nose.

"Are you sure?" she asked her partner, skeptical.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

TenTen slowly shook her head.

"Surveillance it is, then," Neji decided.

-xxx-

TenTen watched the rain rivulet on her small kitchen's single window, thoughtful.

The events since they had found the pregnant girl were blurry in TenTen's mind, and Shikaku had been gracious enough to give she and Neji the day off to sort through their thoughts.

Suddenly, TenTen's phone rang. She picked up on the first ring, already knowing who it would be.

"Come down," said Neji's soft voice.

TenTen jumped up from her spot and shrugged on her jacket before she made for the apartment's stairwell.

Neji was waiting outside the building, leaning against the wall.

TenTen raised her eyebrows at him when he didn't say anything.

"Well?" she prompted.

"They're keeping her in a cell until Captain Nara decides what to do."

TenTen sighed and looked out into the street where sheets of rain were falling.

Neji followed her gaze, his expression blank.

"There's nothing we can do, TenTen."

TenTen's face pinched painfully.

"It's murder. Homicide."

Neji considered her profile.

"It's the law, TenTen."

He watched her brown eyes narrow coldly as she shook her head.

Neji sighed.

"Why are you so upset about this? You know the law. She broke it, so now she has to suffer the consequences."

TenTen crossed her arms in defiance.

"I know I took an oath, but this just seems wrong."

Neji glanced around to ensure they were alone.

"Come upstairs," TenTen said suddenly, turning to Neji.

Neji stared at her in surprise.

"That's against the rules, TenTen."

The brunette fumed for a moment, her expression dour.

"Why don't you go upstairs and rest? It's rare we're given off days," Neji suggested quietly.

TenTen nodded absently, the spark of wrath gone from her.

"See you tomorrow," she said lamely, abandoning him on the street.

Neji watched her slide into the building and glance around, confused. Neji found himself wishing he could follow after her.

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><p><em>Just a small note: The second scene was prior to their capture of the pregnant rebel. Everything else followed accordingly.<em>

_More to come._

_Please review._


	3. San

_Things will start happening soon, I promise._

_Thanks for the reviews. They're much appreciated._

_Lastly, I hope all of you are well and enjoying these lovely first few days of Fall._

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. This is not new info. You all know this.

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><p>TenTen stirred her coffee with a lilt of bitterness in her expression.<p>

The station had received not one, but two notices of bomb threats that morning, and overall, the outlook for the day seemed abysmal.

Not to mention, TenTen was obsessively preoccupied with a certain pregnant prisoner in the holding cells. She had considered more than once in the space of the morning to go and visit with the stranger, but only the possible reprimand of her partner and boss stopped her.

Surreptitiously, TenTen snuck a glance at Neji. He was sitting at his desk, head bowed, dutifully doing his portion of paperwork. TenTen felt sour. She never did her paperwork.

A few moments later, TenTen made up her mind.

She pushed her chair out from her desk, and started for the station doors.

"Where do you think you're going?" came Neji's flat voice.

TenTen glanced at him, slightly annoyed and gestured to her coffee cup.

"Am I not allowed a refill?" she inquired freshly.

Neji was still doing his paperwork. TenTen was almost positive he was rolling his eyes at her lame excuse.

There was a sigh in his voice as Neji replied, "There's nothing you can do for her."

TenTen flushed, but decided to continue to play dumb.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just going to get more coffee," she reiterated, walking away before Neji reminded her that her intended visitation was probably a bad idea.

TenTen abandoned her cup at the station's front counter, taking the sharp right that led to the holding cells downstairs.

Years ago, Shikaku had petitioned the government to enlarge their cells for more capacity, but it had been soundly declined, which meant the station had to let most criminals walk, no matter the severity of the crime.

The only ones kept in the cells now were transgressors of the most notorious laws. The government had made it entirely clear that the Intimacy Law trumped even cold-blooded murder now.

The pregnant girl was being held with twelve others. She sat in a corner close to the door, her blonde hair dirtied. TenTen absentmindedly wondered when she'd had a bath last.

TenTen smartly rapped the cell's wall with her cudgel—a warning to any prisoner who might try something.

She opened the door and pointed out the blonde, gesturing for her to stand.

The girl had tear tracks on her smudged face, her blue eyes downcast. She stood slowly, as if she measured every movement, and joined TenTen.

TenTen slid the door back with a slam and clutched the girl's shoulder, leading her to one of the few rooms set aside for interrogation.

TenTen closed the door for privacy, and led the girl to a chair, where she sat down heavily.

TenTen dragged a chair to sit across from her.

TenTen noted that she was pale, and she half-wondered if she could get the girl some more appropriate meals.

"I just have a few questions," TenTen began, her curiosity taking over.

She bit her lip, grateful that Neji wasn't there to judge her.

The girl stared back at her blankly, seemingly wondering what TenTen would want with her.

TenTen crossed her arms against her chest tightly and asked, "What's your name?"

The girl's eyebrows furrowed at this question, as if TenTen had just asked if she could do a headstand.

"Yamanaka Ino," the blonde replied roughly.

TenTen mulled this over, cataloguing it in her memory to search for state records later.

She continued, gesturing to the girl, "What brought you to this point?"

Ino flinched, her expression pointed.

"You mean pregnant?" she retorted sharply.

TenTen gave no inclination, just waited.

Yamanaka Ino seemed to swell for a moment as she took a large breath. When she released it, she deflated like a balloon. Her eyes seemed more sunken in than before.

She analyzed TenTen for a second.

"The Intimacy Law might have made sense a few years ago when the world was going to shit, but we're past the crisis now. I know you're just some government dog. They don't tell their pawns anything, do you realize that? They use you for force and that's it. Your life is nothing to them.

"My father and mother were slaughtered by you people," she said with disgust. "They didn't deserve to die. I had nowhere else to go, so I went looking for people who felt the same way I did—hate for the people who killed my parents for no reason. I had a new family take me in and they educated me about the truth. About how the crisis ended years ago, and the government is only keeping the Intimacy Law in place for their own selfish ambitions."

TenTen realized she was leaning forward in interest. She slowly sat back.

"So, you're saying you got pregnant on purpose? To prove a point?" TenTen questioned.

The girl scoffed.

"Of course not. Who would want to bring a child into a world like this?" she murmured back sadly. "It was an accident. And I'm sure you're aware that they don't produce contraception anymore."

TenTen blinked, rolling a sour query around her mouth.

She didn't have to ask—Ino read her face like a book.

"You're wondering why I didn't abort it?"

TenTen felt her face flush.

Ino's blue eyes grew distant, and she rubbed her stomach absently.

"I love this baby. Whatever happens, I love it, and I don't regret it."

Disquieted, TenTen led Ino back to her cell and walked upstairs, not even bothering to grab her coffee cup to convince Neji.

"Did you get the answers you wanted?" Neji asked as she walked to her desk.

TenTen ignored him and sat down, thinking hard.

TenTen could feel Neji's eyes on her, and wondered if he was more curious than concerned.

She broke her focus for a moment to glance at him. He was watching her, obviously trying to decipher her expression.

TenTen turned away before he could note the sadness in her eyes.

-xxx-

Yamanaka Ino had no records on file other than her birth certificate and a few insurance cards. Nothing to help TenTen figure out where she had come from. And TenTen knew better than to ask the girl directly; she knew she wouldn't get an answer.

It wasn't until Neji sidled up to her desk that it was time to go. The day was over.

"Come on. I'll walk you home," Neji offered.

TenTen grimaced. His generosity was code for interrogation.

But TenTen kept her mouth shut and gathered her things. There would be no arguing with him.

Neji waited until they were down the block from the station before he started his questioning.

"What happened today? You've been unnervingly quiet all day."

TenTen speculated if this was a compliment or not.

"I talked to the girl," TenTen released a few moments later.

Neji raised a dark eyebrow.

"And?"

TenTen glanced at Neji.

"Her pregnancy was an accident. She said she couldn't do anything to stop it, because of the contraceptive ban."

"She could have aborted it. That's what most people do," Neji said factually.

TenTen stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

"What?" he responded, impatient.

TenTen shook her head, feeling dirty.

"She said she loved her baby and that's why she wouldn't abort it, no matter what happened," divulged TenTen slowly.

Neji studied her for a few seconds.

It was wintry and the wind cut through the thinness of TenTen's jacket. She shivered.

"Come on," Neji encouraged.

TenTen strode alongside him again, her arms crossed.

"Do you ever wonder why the government hasn't lifted the ban and the law?" TenTen inquired softly.

Neji was silent for a long time.

"TenTen, I'm sure the government knows what they're doing. Besides, do you really think it would be wise to bring children into this kind of environment?"

TenTen shrugged, noncommittal.

"I don't know," she replied. "It just seems like too much. To kill her. She's an innocent. All she did was make a mistake."

"TenTen."

TenTen looked up to see Neji staring at her with incredulity.

His look snapped her back into herself.

She fixed him with a concentrated glare.

"Forget I said anything."

She walked past him; her building was in sight.

"Hold on," Neji said.

TenTen paused on the steps of her building, staring down at him.

"Why did you say what you did to me the other day?"

TenTen knew what he was talking about, but she didn't feel like sharing today.

"Don't worry about it, Neji."

Neji wasn't having it.

He walked up the stairs, his white eyes clear as he stared her down.

TenTen sighed and considered him.

"Do you ever feel like we chose the wrong profession?" she asked tiredly.

Neji raised his eyebrows.

"What else is there?" he retorted.

TenTen nodded curtly and entered her building. She knew what he said was right.

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><p><em>Please review if you have the time.<em>


	4. Shi

_Ah, another chapter. I really need to outline this thing so I don't abandon it like everything else I start. XD_

_Also, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving this coming week. Enjoy the time with your family and friends, do good deeds, etc._

_And SnowyChan: I would give up hope, if I were you. Sorry. :(_

**Disclaimer:** Kishimoto owns all of it. Except the plot. That's mine.

* * *

><p>"Who's the father?"<p>

Ino's face softened and she smoothed her hand over her stomach.

"You think I trust you enough to give his name?" Ino shot back without quip.

TenTen frowned slightly.

From what TenTen could tell, Ino had gotten used to her presence every Thursday when TenTen would pull her from her cell. Sometimes they would just talk, and sometimes TenTen tried to get information. Usually, Ino was not very forthright.

"I thought we were acquaintances, at least," TenTen said. "It's not like I know where he is so I can have him arrested. And I'm sure your people are too cautious with strangers anyway."

Ino was thoughtful for a moment.

She eventually shrugged.

"I'm going to die anyway, right? His name is Sasuke." Ino looked down at her stomach. "I was going to name the baby after Sasuke's father."

TenTen's forehead creased.

"You know it's a boy?"

Ino's lips formed a half-smile.

"I call it a future mother's intuition," clarified Ino, sighing.

TenTen watched her for several moments, privately envious of the glow that emitted from the blonde's person, despite her precarious situation.

"How did you meet him?" TenTen inquired.

"When I found my new family, Sasuke was already there. I kind of fell for him from the start."

TenTen was considering if she should pressure her for more information, when Ino said, "Miss Yamaguchi?"

TenTen raised her eyebrows.

"Yes?"

"What do you think about all of this? Of the Intimacy Law and everything else."

TenTen mulled over in her mind what to say.

"I've been wondering lately, if it's really necessary anymore," she divulged secretively to the blonde, shrugging. "I mentioned it to my partner, but he thinks I'm crazy to think like that."

Ino slowly shook her head.

"Being curious does not make you crazy," Ino declared in a firm tone.

In a serious moment of trust, TenTen leaned forward towards Ino.

"I think it's wrong that they're planning to kill you."

Something softened in Ino's blue eyes.

Ino stared at TenTen, expression unreadable.

"You sound like you might be having second thoughts then, of the government's way of running things."

TenTen sighed and sat back in her chair.

"I just don't see how it benefits anyone anymore," TenTen muttered, closing her eyes briefly.

Ino watched her in silence until TenTen showed her back to her cell.

-xxx-

"Let's go have a drink."

Neji raised his eyebrows at his partner.

"TenTen, it's noon," he informed.

TenTen shrugged carelessly.

"I'll buy, if it'll persuade you to come."

His eyes followed her as she went to her desk and got her wallet and coat.

"Fine," he muttered, standing.

-xxx-

TenTen led him to a particularly seedy bar a few blocks from the station. In the daylight, the establishment passed for decent, but Neji knew as soon as the sun set the place would lose all its appeal as citizens crowded inside its dingy walls.

TenTen sat at the bar and ordered sake.

"What do you want?" she asked Neji as he slid onto the stool next to her.

"Water."

TenTen rolled her eyes but told the bartender, who shuffled down to the end to prepare the drinks.

"What's driving you to drink in the middle of the day?" Neji inquired, looking at his partner with some concern.

TenTen received her sake from the bartender and nodded her head in thanks. She stared down at the cup a long time before drinking from it.

"Neji, I'm troubled."

Neji glanced at her brown eyes, detecting the worry hidden there. It made him nervous.

"About what?"

"I'm questioning why things are the way they are," TenTen said, glimpsing his face. Neji read a small amount of shame written on the lines of her face.

Neji stayed quiet, waiting for her to elaborate.

"I've been thinking that maybe the way things are have become irrelevant," she said softly.

Neji took note of the bartender; he would have no idea of what TenTen was insinuating, but it was enough that they were in public and she was sharing these thoughts.

"Careful," Neji advised.

TenTen's cheeks flamed.

"See? I hate being censored like this," she hissed lowly. "I should be able to say what I want without fear of being arrested!"

Neji paid for the drinks, even though TenTen had claimed she would. He ushered her out of the bar quickly.

Outside, he stared down at her, confused.

"What is going on with you?"

TenTen looked at her feet, her fists shoved in her coat pockets.

"I've been thinking. The way the world is right now isn't the way it should be. It isn't the way it was intended to be."

Neji shook his head.

"What are you saying?"

"Neji, haven't you ever wondered why? Why do things have to be the way they are right now? Why aren't we allowed to touch other people and get married and have families? Why can't we say what we really think? There used to be freedom in that, right?"

Neji's fear was mounting the more TenTen said.

"TenTen—"

"I don't want to be censored anymore, Neji."

TenTen seemed reckless, and it made Neji wary of her.

"What are you going to do? Go and join the rebels?" he said. It came out sharper than he intended.

TenTen flinched and uncertainty returned to her features.

She clutched her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I haven't been feeling well lately, and—"

"Let's get you home. You must be coming down with something," Neji hurried, grateful for the excuse.

He deposited TenTen off at her building and took the long route back to the station.

At the time, he had been more than willing to take the excuse TenTen had offered, but now Neji knew what it really was. He had been clinging to a false hope to regain his footing in the slippery tumult TenTen had unloaded on him.

With slight trepidation, Neji began to consider the alternative TenTen had unknowingly voiced.

* * *

><p><em>Review please.<em>


	5. Go

_Sorry for such the long wait! I haven't thought much about this story until I started updating Fighter and Perfidy. But! I have a plan for this, and I don't want to abandon it like I've done so many other stories. All I ask for is your patience as I figure it out._

_Also, this is not my best chapter. If it seems rushed, I know. My apologies. But I was anxious to get the story going._

**Disclaimer:** Kishimoto owns the characters. The plot is mine, mine, mine.

* * *

><p>"I have a proposition for you."<p>

Shikaku glanced up from the folder on his desk. Yamaguchi TenTen was standing before him, eyes narrowed.

"And what would that be?" drawled the police captain.

TenTen swallowed and made herself unclench her hands.

"You gave Neji and me a list of rebels. We determined the best way to capture them would be surveillance." TenTen took a breath. "I want to go undercover as a rebel."

Shikaku raised his eyebrows and reached for an unlit cigar, waiting on his desk.

As he withdrew a lighter, he said, "How well have you thought this through, Yamaguchi?"

TenTen crossed her arms in an attempt to seem more certain and less desperate.

"I've been thinking it over ever since we captured the pregnant girl. I've been speaking to her and I think she would be willing to get me in with her faction."

Shikaku stared at her and inhaled deeply.

"What makes you think they'll accept you, even if you were able to get in with them?"

TenTen responded, "Captain, I may not look it, but I'm a splendid actress. I will make them accept me."

"And if they don't?" prompted Shikaku. "At the very least, this department could have a hostage situation. I don't have the funding or the force to pull something like that off."

TenTen mulled this over for a second before shrugging, careless.

"Don't bother then."

Shikaku exhaled smoke in her face.

"I won't have you throwing your lot in with the rebels, only to be found dead on the streets a few weeks later. Where's Hyuga? He can't possibly agree with this."

Shikaku reached for his phone to page Neji's desk.

"He told me that if you agreed with it, he would also," TenTen interrupted.

"Well, I don't, so that's that, isn't it?"

TenTen's jaw tightened.

"Captain, listen, I know that this seems like an outlandish request, but I know what I'm doing. I know the risks and the dangers of this, but I'm prepared to do it to weed out these damn rebels for the good of Sapporo.

"The only reason you haven't allowed this before is because of the funding, but I don't need funding. I want to go in alone, with no strings from the department. I'm prepared to do this alone."

Shikaku rolled his eyes.

"Stop trying to be such a savior, Yamaguchi." Shikaku settled deep into his chair, considering her. "This has to go before Tsunade, before anything can happen."

"So, you're approving my request?" TenTen questioned.

Shikaku sent her a glare.

"Get out of my office. I have phone calls to make."

TenTen obliged and went to her desk, hoping her plan had worked.

She ignored Neji's suspicious eyes as they watched her. He suspected she was up to something, but TenTen wasn't planning on telling him until Shikaku approved her wish.

If he found out before her mission was approved, she knew Neji would try to stop her.

"What were you doing in the Captain's office?" Neji asked a few moments later, tone flat.

"I needed him to sign something," TenTen replied simply.

She turned away from him, focusing on the mound of paperwork situated in the corner of her desk.

Neji narrowed his eyes at his brunette partner and wondered what reason she would have to lie to him.

-xxx-

It took Shikaku five days to get back in touch with TenTen. When she was called into his office, it was more than just the police captain waiting for her.

In Shikaku's desk chair sat Tsunade, the Chief Superintendant of the entire police force in Sapporo.(1) Shikaku was exiled to standing behind her.

"Yamaguchi TenTen, I presume," said Tsunade.

TenTen nodded.

"Sit, please," Tsunade instructed, gesturing to a chair in front of Shikaku's desk.

TenTen obeyed, surprised by the Superintendant's presence. The only time she visited individual departments was when someone was in trouble.

"Captain Nara has informed me of your plan," Tsunade began without preliminary. "What a foolish idea."

TenTen looked down at her hands, sighing.

"Going undercover as a rebel has not gone unheard of among the Sapporo forces before, but obviously no one has the balls to carry it out. Do you know why this is, Officer Yamaguchi?"

TenTen shook her head.

"Because even an idiot wouldn't venture into a den of hungry lions," Tsunade concluded, studying TenTen sharply. "Why do you want to prove yourself an idiot, Officer Yamaguchi?"

TenTen answered, "I'm not an idiot, Chief Superintendant. I know what I can do, and I have information at my disposal. I can do this."

Tsunade sniffed and waved it away.

"You're young. You don't know what you can do. Have you ever undergone a mission like you're suggesting? Undercover is not easy, and it takes a lot of careful planning and funding. I have neither the funding nor the man power to get you out if things go wrong, which they probably will."

"With all due respect, Chief Superintendant, I never pegged you as someone to play it safe," TenTen murmured.

Tsunade raised her eyebrows and Shikaku glared at his officer.

A few seconds passed before the corner of Tsunade's mouth lifted slightly.

"You and I resemble each other somewhat, Officer. We both have rash tendencies," Tsunade said. She turned her eyes to Shikaku. "Approve the mission. I leave the planning in your capable hands."

Tsunade stood and spared TenTen a glance before she left the office.

"Let's hope that your attitude will be enough to gain you success in this endeavor."

-xxx-

Neji listened attentively to Shikaku and TenTen as they discussed her undercover mission. Honestly, he had no idea why he was even present; the two of them seemed to have everything figured out.

Shikaku eventually posed, "What do you think, Hyuga?"

"I can't believe you're letting her do this," Neji replied.

TenTen glowered at him, displeased, but Neji didn't care. She was being careless.

Shikaku just shrugged.

"She volunteered, and Tsunade herself approved it. I have to deliver results."

"Results?" Neji snapped. "She's going to die!"

TenTen's nostrils flared in anger.

"You doubt my abilities?" she retorted hotly to her partner.

"Frankly, yes," Neji responded.

TenTen rolled her eyes.

"You haven't done this kind of mission before; you don't know what's going to happen."

"And all of the training and exams wasn't enough?" TenTen said. "I've been prepared for undercover."

Neji shot back, "A simulation in the Academy is very different from real life, TenTen."

TenTen stared at him for a while, judging his expression before she turned to Shikaku.

"Remove him from the mission. If he doesn't have faith in me, then I can't work with him on this," she demanded.

"Request denied," Shikaku said, sounding bored. "Stop yelling, both of you. It's settled. Yamaguchi is going undercover, and you, Hyuga, will be her outside contact. Deal with it."

Shikaku dismissed them, and the pair angrily left the office.

"You won't succeed," Neji imparted to her.

"And it will partly be on your head if you let me fail," TenTen rejoined.

She swept past him and sat roughly at her desk, face red.

Neji exhaled and carefully walked up to her.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" he inquired softly. "With the way you've been feeling lately—"

TenTen sent him a sharp look.

"If you think that I'll let my personal feelings get in the way of the mission, don't worry. I know how to keep myself under control. Besides, that's why you're my contact. You're the one who has to keep me straight."

Neji shook his head.

"You don't even know if she'll tell you what you need to know to make contact with them," he said.

TenTen grinned up at him.

"Leave that to me."

-xxx-

The next day, TenTen came to the station dressed in her civilian clothes. She went straight to the holding cells and retrieved Ino, and led her to an interrogation room.

The girl's pregnancy was progressing. Where there had been only a slight bulge two weeks before, now there was a distinct bump.

"I came to tell you that I'm taking leave from my job for a while," TenTen began.

Ino raised her eyebrows.

"What for?"

TenTen sighed.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you've said, and I'm trying to figure out how I feel about it. My captain has let me take some leave."

Ino mulled this over, staring at TenTen.

"What are you going to do?"

TenTen shrugged.

"I don't know. I just—I feel like there's more, you know?"

Ino nodded slowly.

TenTen allowed her to think about it, and was not surprised when the younger girl leaned forward.

"I can help you, if you're truly interested," Ino spoke softly.

TenTen's forehead creased.

"What do you mean?" she asked the blonde.

"My family—they can help you figure it out. They can show you the truth."

"How?"

Ino exhaled and seemed to take a chance.

"Do you have a piece of paper?"

TenTen nodded and provided a small piece of paper and a pencil.

Ino scratched out a small message on one side and an address on the back.

"You'll find them in the outer city, obviously. I wrote down the address of headquarters. You'll have to be careful at first, but once they read this message it should be okay."

"Thank you," TenTen said, accepting the slip.

Ino nodded, fixing her blue eyes on TenTen.

"I'm really sticking my neck out for you," she informed. "If you betray my trust, you won't have me to answer to—you'll have the rebels, and they don't take kindly to government dogs regardless."

TenTen nodded and stood.

"Why even take a chance on me?" TenTen asked her as she led her back to the holding cells.

Ino attempted a smile and looked down at her stomach.

"I believe in a world where children may exist without worry of being killed in their infancy, and where people may question things freely without being murdered. There are things in this world that we can't control, but I believe in altering our reaction. We shouldn't react in fear when things happen. We should react with confidence and strength and perseverance. I'm taking a chance on you because I believe you can help us make it happen."

Ino flushed and met TenTen's gaze.

"They'll show you. They'll show you there's a better way of doing things."

Ino nodded to herself and walked into the holding cell without assistance, her fingers spread over the skin that held the growing baby inside her.

* * *

><p>(1) Chief Superintendant is a title used in the Japanese police force (adopted from Britain) to describe a senior rank police officer who commands divisions of police. Kind of like quadrants.<p>

_Review, if you like._


	6. Roku

_Finally, some action! :)_

**Disclaimer:** Characters are Kishimoto's. Plot is mine.

* * *

><p>TenTen considered the map laid out in front of her, trying to make sense of the shaded in streets and the big x's that marked known hostile groups.<p>

The map was labeled as a relic of sorts to her department—a piece of paper that detailed the condemned outer city of Sapporo. However, TenTen knew she couldn't rely on it too much—the map was dated to be ten years old.

"How does it look to you?" inquired Neji, peering at her bowed head.

They were in one of the station's little used conference rooms, preparing for TenTen's infiltration.

"Tricky," was TenTen's soft response.

Neji looked up from his strategy plans and raised his eyebrows.

"I can do it though," TenTen hastily amended, meeting his eyes.

Neji rolled his eyes.

"You're going to die," he muttered, glancing back down.

TenTen treated him to a sour glare that he easily ignored.

"If I die, it's on you. You're supposed to help me," TenTen retorted.

"I'm limited in my abilities. I can only help you while you're in the inner-city. After that, you're on your own. Which is why you should go tell Captain Nara right now that you can't do it."

TenTen shook her head. They had had this argument a million times in the past few days, and she would not be the one to admit that the task placed before her was practically impossible. Her pride was too great for that kind of embarrassment.

She was venturing out into the Great Unknown tomorrow morning. The mounting feeling of failure was imminent.

-xxx-

Upon waking the next morning, TenTen checked outside. True to the forecast, it was lightly raining outside, a dismal gray. An appropriate parting present.

TenTen sat back down on the edge of her mattress, thinking. She didn't know the next time she would see this room, sleep in her own bed.

TenTen blinked and stood up, stripping off her clothes. She pulled on her rarely worn casual clothes—she would have no need for the uniform she wore at the station.

As she was lacing up her boots, her phone buzzed with a call from Neji.

"I'm downstairs," Neji murmured when she picked up.

"Be down in a minute," TenTen replied.

She hurriedly grabbed her bag, throwing it over shoulders. She had packed a week's worth of clothes the previous night, a small bag of toiletries, a few cans of soup, and dried fruit. In the front pocket was a pistol, along with a small bag of bullets.

When TenTen arrived outside, Neji was waiting, staring out at the street.

"Good morning," TenTen greeted.

Neji glanced at her.

"Ready?" he asked.

TenTen nodded, pushing down the nervousness in her gut.

They were walking to the edge of the inner-city—the only transportation that ran these days were privately owned cars, which were rare, and motorcycles.

Their journey on foot was a silent one. TenTen suspected Neji was still angry with her for going through with this.

As they neared the border between civilization and wasteland, Neji began to speak, his tone slightly urgent, "Your phone should work in the outer-city, but they'll probably confiscate it from you as soon as you show up. I wouldn't be surprised if they take your pistol too."

Neji reached into his jacket and held out a small vial.

"What is this?" TenTen asked, taking it and peering at the liquid inside.

"It's cyanide. Captain Nara said I should supply you with some in case something goes wrong."

TenTen raised her eyebrows.

"You're not seriously expecting them to torture me," she said, surprised.

Neji shrugged.

"I don't know what they plan on doing with you. Better safe than sorry."

TenTen rolled her eyes, but carefully slipped the vial into her jeans pocket.

They walked the last few steps to the border and stopped, looking out at the decrepit buildings and the broken glass littering the cracked street. The guards at either end of the street looked at them curiously.

"If I don't hear from you in two weeks, I'll assume you're dead," Neji muttered, pulling his eyes from the destruction to look at his partner.

"You're dating my survival to two weeks?" TenTen posed jokingly.

Neji didn't laugh, his face remaining serious.

"Remember the part you're playing. You're a civilian who doubts the government's effectiveness. You're searching for something more. Did you leave your ID at home?"

TenTen nodded easily, shifting the bag on her shoulders.

"I guess that's it, then?" TenTen asked, glancing up at him.

Neji inclined his head, hesitation in his pale eyes.

TenTen moved forward, and looked back at Neji.

"I'll contact you soon," she said, feeling heaviness settle in her chest. "Can you do me a favor and check on Ino once in a while? She needs someone right now."

Neji blinked, but nodded in response.

"Okay." TenTen stared at him, wishing she could glean some sort of comfort from him.

Neji budged forward, his toes resting on the border line.

"Don't forget who you are and why you're there," Neji cautioned, letting a note of concern coat his words.

TenTen smiled clumsily at him and turned around, heading off into the wild unknown.

When she reached her first turn, several blocks away, TenTen threw a glimpse over her shoulder. Neji was in the same spot she'd left him, solid and unmoving.

TenTen held up her hand in parting and disappeared between the buildings, feeling her heart heave a small sigh.

-xxx-

Three hours later, TenTen consulted her map.

The rain had continued throughout the morning, and for the past half hour the sky had begun to darken with storm clouds.

TenTen wished she had brought an umbrella.

She had had little trouble in her journey so far, but the further she went into the outer-city, the more TenTen grew anxious.

It was eerie. The presence the streets held was ominous. TenTen felt like she was intruding on something wild, uncontrolled, and violent.

There were no signs of any human visitors. Decaying bodies that hadn't been recovered or found lied rotting in the streets, forever staring at the ruins of the city. The buildings that were still standing hung droopy; structures that were once booming businesses were exposed, their drywall and brick crippled. It reminded TenTen of a gaping wound, bleeding out, unable to heal.

Seeing the abandonment and devastation of the city washed TenTen in memories.

Her earliest memory of the war had been a bomb raid.

She had been young—no older than three—and she had been corralled into the basement of the orphanage she had grown up. The bombs had shaken everything to its core. TenTen remembered the fear well.

Even after the war, she recalled the senseless violence that happened.

Transgressors of the Intimacy Law were punished in public in the early years after the document had been signed—a scare tactic that established a no resistance, zero tolerance society that the NUJ was intent on obtaining.

It was terrifying to see men and women, even teenagers, beaten to death in the streets. And the worst part was that no one could do anything about it. In the NUJ, this behavior was expected. In the NUJ, murdering two people in love was justifiable.

TenTen blinked and let her recollections fade. She had no time to mourn the past now. She was on a mission.

Carefully, she folded back the map and put it in her jacket pocket, stepping forward onto a new block.

"Stop where you are," commanded a voice from behind, the flick of a safety cutting through the silence.

TenTen's eyes widened and she immediately put her hands up to assure she wasn't armed.

"Don't move," said the voice, distinctly masculine.

TenTen obeyed, running through a million scenarios in her head and dismissing each one. She was undercover. She couldn't act like a cop today.

A set of hands checked her bag, snorting at the small pistol in the front pocket before removing it from her bag.

"She's clean, besides the pistol," said a girl's voice.

"What's your purpose here?" asked the male.

TenTen swallowed.

"I'm looking for Snake Eyes. I was told I could find him here," TenTen answered, relying on the response Ino had told her to use.

TenTen heard a shifting of feet against the pavement, and she figured the two were considering what to do.

A moment later, the man inquired, "What business do you have with him?"

Again, TenTen replied with one of Ino's phrases, "I came to be taught justice and unlearn injustice."

Silence reverberated among the three, and TenTen wondered if perhaps they were about to kill her.

"Come on," said the girl, grabbing TenTen's arms roughly and forcing them behind her back.

TenTen's eyebrows rose. Even when arresting a prisoner, she had been forbidden to touch them without gloves on. These girl's hands were easily holding onto her wrists, as if it were normal.

She was forced to walk ahead of her captors; TenTen assumed they didn't want their faces to be seen until her fate was decided.

The walk was short. They eventually arrived at an alley and TenTen was pushed to a dead end, a brick wall, and forced to her knees.

TenTen's heartbeat grew rapid. Was she about to be shot, point-blank? Had she gotten the answers wrong? Ino had told her exactly what to say—

"Lie face down," instructed the girl, letting go of her wrists.

Apprehensive, TenTen obeyed, realizing she had no choice either way. If she reached for the cyanide, she'd be shot immediately, and the girl had taken her pistol. Hand-to-hand combat was an option, but really, what good were a few punches when a bullet could silence her instantly?

TenTen listened as two pairs of footsteps receded to the end of the alley, hushed voices following.

Were they going to leave her here? They would shoot her first, surely. She had entered their territory, uninvited, and she had to be punished. There would be no escapes, obviously. The first lesson TenTen had been taught about rebels was that they took no chances, so why—

Suddenly, a booted foot nudged her side, turning TenTen over onto her back.

Above her stood a raven-haired male, eyes dark as night itself, but lively.

"Where's Ino?" was his only question.

* * *

><p><em>I'm sure you all know who that is. ;)<em>

_Review please._


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